Sasol Banyana Banyana head coach Dr Desiree Ellis has described Tuesday night’s CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON 2026) Group B clash against Burkina Faso as a “final” as South Africa fight to keep their tournament hopes alive.
The defending African champions head into the decisive encounter at the bottom of the group with just one point from two matches, knowing that anything less than a victory will end their title defence. Kick-off is scheduled for 22:00 (SA time).
Burkina Faso occupy third place with three points, while Ivory Coast lead the standings with four points, one ahead of Tanzania. The two sides will meet simultaneously in the other Group B fixture.
Ellis acknowledged the magnitude of the challenge but remains confident her experienced squad can rise to the occasion.
“Burkina Faso are not here by fluke, but we have to focus on ourselves. We have to control play from the first whistle – we can only control what we can control,” said Ellis.
“We have prepared well and we will be ready to give the best we can. We know what is at stake. It is probably the final for us. If we don’t get the result we require, it’s the end of the road.”
The South African coach believes her players have the experience and mental strength to handle the pressure of a high-stakes encounter.
“We have been in similar positions before, and I believe we have players with enough experience to get us over the line. Yes, there will be pressure, but we have never doubted ourselves and we can draw inspiration from the fact that we have done it before,” she added.
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